Shoe insole



Feb. 11, 1969 v. DRA'GO 3,426,455

SHOE INSOLE Filed June 13, 1966 liar/Ilia? i United States Patent 3,426,455 SHOE INSOLE Vittorio Drago, Turin, Italy, assignor to Superga Societa er Azioni, Turin, Italy Filed June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 557,014 Claims priority, application Italy, June 25, 1965,

3,981/65 US. Cl. 36-3 1 Claim Int. Cl. A43b 13/40, 7/06 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to an insole particularly suitable for use in ski shoes made of non-permeable material, such as rubber, and intended to promote ventilation from the inside of the shoe during use.

In 'known rubber ski shoe the internal walls of the upper of the shoe are lined with a layer of spongy material, such as expanded rubber, which is itself lined with a wool fabric, the interconnecting hollows of which maintain air pockets.

The layer of porous material is partly compressed on each step taken by the wearer, so that the air in the crushed hollows is expelled therefrom. By circulating around the foot this air provides a degree of ventilation.

An object of the present invention is to enhance this ventilating effect.

A further object of the invention is to provide an insole for a ski shoe of non-permeable material, the said insole being of the type shaped to fit a foot under-surface and adapted to cover, in use, the shoe inner sole surface, the said insole comprising a first layer of material similar in properties to vulcanized rubber, which layer is provided on one face with a plurality of spaced ribs, the opposite face of said first layer being covered with a second layer of expanded rubber and a third layer of Woolly material, the said three layers being perforated by a plurality of holes connecting with the spaces existing between the said ribs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be clear from the following description, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are by way of example and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a part sectional side view of a ski shoe comprising an insole according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the upper face of the insole;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the lower face of the insole; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line IVIV of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, the ski shoe will be seen to comprise a rubber sole 1 having vulcanized thereto a shoe upper comprising an outer wall 2 of rubber. The said wall 2 is lined on its inside with a layer 3 of expanded rubber and with a lining 4 of woolly material.

The shoe is provided with an insole 5 according to the ice invention shaped to match a foot under-surface and to cover the shoe inner sole surface.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the insole comprises a first layer 6 of material similar in physical properties to vulcanized rubber. Formed on the face thereof adjacent the sole 1 (i.e. the lower face) are a plurality of ribs 7 extending transversely of the insole and in spaced-apart relationship. The spaces formed between adjacent ribs are connected by a plurality of grooves 8 which intersect the ribs 7 at right angles thereto and longitudinally of the insole.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the thickness of the layer 6 and height of the ribs 7 are constant at the forward (toe) portion of the insole, and gradually increase towards the rear (heel) portion of the insole. A maximum value is reached at the extreme rear end of the insole, with this portion being wedge-shaped in the manner of an orthopedic insole.

The free bottom portion of the ribs 7 (i.e. the portion not adjacent the lower face) have glued thereto a layer 9 of flexible material, such as rubber, which covers all the free spaces between the ribs 7. These spaces thus form chambers 10 which are open at the sides of the insole 5, and which are interconnected by the grooves 8.

In order to retain the insole 5 in the shoe the bottom face of the layer 9 is bonded to the inner surface of the sole 1.

The face of the first layer 6 turned towards the inside of the shoe (the upper layer) has glued thereto a second layer 11 of expanded rubber which is covered by a lining third layer 12 of woolly material.

The layers 6, 11 and 12 are pattern perforated by a plurality of holes 13 arranged along the axis of each groove 8. As a result the chambers 10 connect through the grooves 8 and the holes 13 with the inside of the shoe.

When the shoe is worn, each step taken by the wearer causes the insole to be compressed and then released so that a quantity of air is periodically expelled from the chambers 10 through the holes 13. This adds to the air which is expelled from the hollows in the layer 11 of expanded rubber which covers the insole 5. It also adds to the air expelled from the hollows in the layer 3 of expanded rubber.

In this way ventilation of the inside of the shoe is considerably enhanced.

Various modifications to the invention are of course possible within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A ventilation type insole for boots and shoes comprising:

(a) a first layer of rubber like material, said first layer being provided with a plurality of spaced ribs extending transversely of the insole to define a plurality of transverse grooves, the height of said ribs being substantially constant at the forward portion of the insole and increasing gradually in height toward the rear portion thereof, attaining a maximum value at the extreme rear end, said transverse grooves being intersected by a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves,

(b) a second layer of sponge rubber covering the rib free surface of said first layer,

(0) a third layer of woolly material covering the free surface of said second layer, and

(d) a fourth layer of. flexible material arranged over and attached to the free bottom portion of said ribs to cover the grooves existing therebetween, and

3 wherein the first three layers are perforated by a 588,768 plurality of holes positioned at the points of inter- 895,950 section between said transverse and longitudinal 2,558,973 grooves to provide ventilation inside the shoe. 2,748,502 2,767,490

References Cited 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1898 Bunker.

6/1866 Daggett.

4 Kennedy. Von Bracht. Mea'ker. Scholl 3644 Smith 36-44 ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

